Society is dynamic, and sociology has long been studying the processes of its change. At present, four basic theories have been formulated that describe the changes that are taking place. This is a rhizome type of social dynamics, cycle, line, spiral.
Sotsium: everything is cyclical
A similar idea has developed since primitive times. This was largely due to external factors that strongly affect human consciousness: the seasons succeeded each other, the sun was setting and rising again. Similar processes have been observed in society. Mostly laws, known for a long time, are aimed at maintaining a stable state of society. It is for this reason that the lifestyle of a person belonging to ancient communities has changed so weakly over the centuries. And now the cyclical type of social dynamics is attracting the attention of many researchers.
In a straight line: forward, forward only
The linear type of social dynamics is based on ideas first voiced during the Middle Ages. People began to realize that the past was significantly different from the future, and that events that had happened before would probably never be repeated. A classic example is the moment of creation of the world, which happened once and became a reference point. There is also a future that will one day come, although it is not clear at what point this will happen. In the view of medieval Europeans, such a final point is the Last Judgment.
This example of a type of social dynamics reflects well the orientation toward the goal. In the view of the inhabitants of the Middle Ages, the final point was to be the kingdom of God on our planet. Moreover, the previously dominant idea of the circle was sharply reformatted into a clear line. History has gained meaning and purpose, has become easier for the perception of an individual.
In a spiral: forward, but not quite
The spiral-shaped type of social dynamics was first formulated in the circle of German philosophers, the author of this idea was Hegel (1770-1831). A distinctive feature of the theory is the simultaneous presence of specific features of both a line and a circle. It is difficult to deny that history repeats itself over the years, but has certain differences at the next round - the quality is changing, many aspects are being improved.
A spiral is characterized by the presence of a target, which makes the system close to linear. For this type of social dynamics, briefly, the goal can be formulated as creating a perfect, impeccable state. Philosophers believed that the idea of the existence of society is to organize the most reasonable society, where impeccable justice will rule. The dream community is a realm of freedom.
Rhizome system
This type of social dynamics was first voiced by postmodernists. Its name came from the biological specific term “rhizome”, by which it is customary to understand the root system of a perennial plant. A distinctive feature of the biological structure is the absence of a core root. For rhizomes, an abundance of interwoven shoots is characteristic. Their directions are completely impossible to predict; there are dying branches that reappear.
When people talk about rhizome as a type of social dynamics, they reflect the randomness of our community. The processes taking place in society, from the point of view of postmodernism, are completely meaningless. This idea is reflected in the main postulates of the approach.
Specific features
To understand at what point in history what type of social dynamics took place, it is necessary to navigate the direction of social development, the nature of the processes taking place within the community. Development is a change in qualities that obeys certain laws and has a specific direction. They talk about progress, regression. The first involves moving forward, the second - the opposite direction. With progress, society improves, bottom moves up, becomes more complicated. Regression, respectively, includes simplification, a consistent deterioration of the system.
In the seventeenth century, the idea of improving society was first voiced. At the same time, attention was paid not only to the types of social dynamics (social science for modern schoolchildren is a subject that gives a full understanding of the issue), but also to the freedom of society, individuals, and also the ability to develop the mind. Philosophers of that era especially focused on productive power. All of these criteria were considered indicators of progress. At the same time, there were regression theories proving that technological improvement stimulates spiritual decline. The most striking follower of this idea is Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in whose works the idea of the corruption of an individual by civilization sounds like a refrain.
Change: what?
Historical processes, types of social dynamics allow us to talk about two characteristic groups of changes:
By evolution, it is customary to understand gradual improvements reflected by quantitative indicators. This is not synonymous with reforms that do not affect the foundations of the current structure. Evolution is the opposite of revolution (like reform, but in other aspects). The main feature of this type of social dynamics is gradualism.
A revolution is a type of social improvement when the changes are deep, high-quality. Development undergoes a sharp jump up. Often the concept of characterize society as a single community, but can be applied to specific elements. From history, for example, the agrarian, cultural, scientific revolution is known. The first belongs to society as a single object, the second two terms describe social elements.
Change Models
Philosophers, sociologists have formulated several models that reflect the characteristics of the above four types of social dynamics. When modeling, they pay attention to revolutionary changes, the progression of society, its elements, aspects. The author of the model formulates his opinion as to whether history has a goal, with a positive decision, also communicates his view of what is the ultimate object of aspiration.
One of the rather famous and popular models is formation. The authors based it on the sayings of Karl Marx. The postulates deduced from the simulation establish that individuals are in a production relationship that forms a complex economic system. In combination with the modern concept of the type of social dynamics, one can deduce why the image of individuals, society as a whole, is exactly the way we observe it. The economic basis is the foundation of this view, it is based on legal postulates, ideas, theoretical aspects, moral theories of Marxism.
Formations of a society, economy
As follows from Marxism, social history is subordinate to the conditions of the economy and financial situation. Based on specific conditions, five basic formations can be distinguished:
- primitive community;
- slavery;
- feudal structure;
- capitalist society;
- communism.
Progress is observed in the successive transition between these formations. The main goal of such a society is to achieve a state of equality, the absence of classes.
How does this happen?
Marxism declares that formations can change only in the presence of sharply expressed processes of struggle between the oppressed and the oppressors. This means that slaves must rebel against their owners, peasants against feudal lords, workers against capitalists. To eliminate feudalism, society needed a revolution; as a result of a similar event, communism must come to power, as follows from theoretical principles. Marxists are firmly convinced that the working class is capable of completely eradicating the bourgeois community, for which it is enough to raise a powerful revolutionary wave.
The opposite of formation is civilization. This term has many meanings, but there are three key ones:
- time stage of development of society;
- local type of society, culture;
- stage of cultural progress, the opposite of savagery, barbarians.
When talking about stages, local modeling, they mean the first two meanings of the term.
Toffler Positions
Born in 1928, this sociologist has become an extremely important thinker - many theories of modern sociology are based on the postulates formulated by him. Particularly interesting are his calculations related to the agrarian revolution. As follows from the assumptions made, it was she who created our civilization with all its attributes and traditions, characteristic features. But the industrial one is based on the economy with the use of machines and automatic machines. Its main engine is mass culture.
Toffler also considered modernization - with this term he described the change of culture to industrial. However, you need to be careful: in the works of other sociologists this word is sometimes used to refer to the transition to the post-industrial community. But according to Toffler, postindustrial is the third wave that is still capturing our world at the present time. Some thinkers, sociologists call it informational. There is nothing surprising in terminology, because in many respects our civilization was created precisely by computer progress, access to high-precision electronic machines, and mass communications. Biological technologies, the possibilities of genetic engineering - all this is changing the social culture.
Modernity: to be on the crest of a wave
Not so long ago, the main driving force was muscular. Although machine labor gradually entered the life of society, at first its influence was quite insignificant. In our time, the main activity of man is mental employment and the solution of tasks of informatization. In conditions of such social improvement, information has become the most significant value. Under its influence, educational, educational systems, the very nature of labor are changing.
Information in relation to the economy can be safely called the most actively developing sector. It dominates politics, the pace of development has long exceeded the inherent spiritual processes. Not the last role in this is played by the possibility of communication between people, regardless of geographic location. The main tool, of course, is presented by the World Wide Web.
McLuhan: Mid-Century Theories
The Canadian philosopher (born in 1911) believed that the organization of the human community is determined by communication technologies, methods and types. For example, when it came to tribal organization, verbal communication was practiced, restricting locality, the presence of strong traditions, authority and faith in it. Over time, the alphabet appeared, which allowed us to switch to a culture of vision. This was further developed when mankind invented machines for printing text. It has become possible mass use of standardization approaches, people are now available to use various mechanisms.
Our era is, as McLuhan said, electronic civilization. Borders that were previously between people are a thing of the past. Space, time are no longer of serious complexity, individual individuals can be much closer to each other. Books give way to audio, visual production, a culture developed by computers and quite similar to the tribal structure of society. According to McLuhan, our future is a kind of global village in which there is no longer a division into nations, countries, in a word, no borders.
Sociology according to Danilevsky
A significant contribution to philosophy and science, considering processes in society, was made by a Russian figure Danilevsky who lived in the nineteenth century. He spoke of ten types of development of culture and history, distinguishing them by power and nation:
- Egypt.
- China.
- Babylon, Assyria, Phenicia.
- India.
- Iran.
- Greece.
- Rome.
- Arabia
- Europe.
- Jewish type of civilization.
He compared each of them with biological organisms that are forced to fight the environment and competitors. The vital activity of civilization is a sequence of classical stages: creation, development, aging, dying.
Danilevsky and Spengler
The German Oswald Spengler, born at the end of the nineteenth century and creating in the first third of the twentieth, expressed ideas that were largely close to the theories of the Russian philosopher. He did not think that universal human culture is really possible, and he estimated history as a constant struggle between different civilizations, each of which has about a millennium for its entire life cycle. Prosperity always leads to crisis and destruction, and creativity is replaced by soullessness. At some point, culture may boast of wealth, but it is replaced by formality.
Spengler believed that maturity was achieved by the cultures of Egypt, India, Babylon, China, Greeks and Romans, Byzantium, Western Europe and Maya. Spenglerian ideas were actively developed in the twentieth century by the Englishman Toynbee, who divided civilization into five cultural types: West, Orthodoxy, Islam, Hinduism, the Far East. Each of these types was, in his opinion, a life impulse caused by historical crises. As soon as the energy impulse is exhausted, the death of civilization is observed. The Toynbee crisis can be overcome by trying to get away from local values to a higher world level. The thinker believed that world values are most fully expressed through religion.